1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to gripping devices for receiving and holding one or more elements or components therein. The device may be used in the office, workshop or home and, as such, may be utilised to hold single or multiple elements or components including tools, domestic utensils such as kitchen implements, office equipment, sheet material such as paper, card, plastics, textile material for screens or curtaining and so on or as a glazing grip for glass or plastics sheeting.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART.
U.K. Patent Specification No. 1127357 describes a device for gripping and suspending sheets of paper comprising a horizontal support member having along its underside a series of spaced sheet grippers each consisting of an abutment for engagement by face of a sheet and a resilient gripping member attached to the support member and having an upwardly directed free end for engaging the other face of the sheet and gripping the sheet resiliently against the abutment. Two such support members are provided spaced apart and extending parallel to one another to suspend a series of sheets at opposite corners thereof. The members are relatively narrow engaging the sheets over correspondingly narrow locations providing only limited support for a sheet and not being capable of supporting a plurality of components and in particular differently sized components. Moreover the attachment of the resilient gripping member to the underside of the member creates a heavy and un-attractive structure.
U.K. Patent Publication No. 2007161 discloses a clip for use in a suspension piling system comprising a bifurcate part having two fingers engageable respectively inside and outside the spinal portion of a magazine to grip the spinal portion between them and a hook part engageable over a side rail of a suspension filing system. Again the construction is concerned with gripping a sheet over a limited locality and in particular a corner of a sheet and whilst suitable for suspending sheets, would not be applicable to supporting a multiplicity of elements or components and in particular differently sized elements or components.